


Just Because Something Burns Bright (Doesn’t Mean It’s Going To Burn Forever)

by tabbytabbytabby



Series: Thiam Prompts [58]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst, Bad Things Happen Bingo, Emotional Hurt, Established Relationship, Grief/Mourning, Hurt Liam Dunbar, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt Theo Raeken, Loss, M/M, Missing Persons, Sad, Sad Ending, Unhappy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-03
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-07-06 04:20:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15878424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tabbytabbytabby/pseuds/tabbytabbytabby
Summary: When Theo goes missing Liam tries to keep hope that he's going to find him. Liam quickly finds out that hope can only last so long.





	Just Because Something Burns Bright (Doesn’t Mean It’s Going To Burn Forever)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [manonlemelon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/manonlemelon/gifts).



> For Manon who wanted "missing and presumed dead" for Thiam for Bad Things Happen Bingo.  
> Title comes from [Plastic Flowers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OjZV1du2zM) by The Front Bottoms, which also gave me a lot of feelings while writing this  
> Check the tags y'all!

Liam tries not to let himself worry. He keeps telling himself that everything’s going to be fine. That his phone is going to ring and Theo will be on the other end telling him he’s fine. He’s okay and he’s coming home. Except that doesn’t happen. Days goes by and then finally a week and Liam still hasn’t heard anything.

He should have known better than to let Theo go off on his own but Theo had insisted. He’d kissed Liam goodbye and told him he loved him and that he would be home as soon as he could. Liam had heard from him that first night after he’d checked into a motel a few hours outside of Beacon Hills. Then again the next morning when he texted him as he left, promising to call him later once he’d stopped again. Liam wasn’t exactly waiting by the phone for the call. He had things to do himself. But he’d still been expecting it.

So when midnight had rolled around and Theo still hadn’t called Liam had started to get restless, a feeling of unease coming over him. He’d called him and listened as the phone rang a few times before going to voicemail. Liam had still tried to stay calm. Theo could be busy. He’d left a voicemail and told himself that Theo would call when he had time. He still hadn’t called by morning.

At that point Liam had called Scott, telling him what was going on. He’d been furious when Scott had told him he’d sent Theo off to some secret meeting out of town and not just to fetch a book like he’d been told. Scott had tried to assure him that it wasn’t supposed to be dangerous and that Derek had been supposed to meet him for back up. Liam had held his tongue about questioning why Theo would need back up if it wasn’t supposed to be dangerous.

Liam had started to grow worried when he called Derek and heard that Theo had never shown up at their meeting spot. He’d had to go to the meeting alone. Derek had tried to reassure him, saying that the service in the area can be poor and he might just be in a bad area. That had done little to help him. Even if Theo was in a spot with bad service he’d try to get somewhere to check in if he was able to. Which had just meant he wasn’t able to.

Liam has basically shut down ever since. He doesn’t want to worry. He wants to believe that Theo is out there and okay. Not missing and presumed dead like so many of the pack are starting to believe. The only person that is humoring him is Derek. Liam knows that’s just because he’s grown close to Theo over the past couple of years and is worried about his friend.

Liam’s sitting on a bed in the motel room he checked into a few days ago after getting tired of sitting in Beacon Hills and just waiting to hear something. He’s been here scouring the town and the woods with Derek hoping to catch Theo’s scent. So far nothing has turned up. Right now he’s trying to go with the “no news is good news” mindset.

Liam looks down at the ring on his finger and twirls it. It’s been a month since Theo had pulled out the box and plopped it down on Liam’s chest and looked at him expectantly. Liam remembers opening it with shaking hands, despite knowing what was inside. Theo had gone a little shy then, rubbing the back of his beck as he’d looked down at the ring in Liam’s hand, “I’d been trying to plan this big proposal but nothing seemed right. It just didn’t feel like us. And I know this is probably a lame way to do it. But I don’t care about that. I love you, Liam. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you. All that matters to me is that you know that.”

Liam had kissed him, mumbling out his acceptance against his skin before he slipped the ring onto his finger. Then he’d shown Theo just how much he loves him with his hands and lips and the movement of his body against Theo’s.

He has to close his eyes as tears build up and threaten to fall. He hasn’t let himself cry yet. Crying feels like giving up. He’s not about to do that. He has to believe that wherever Theo is, he’s out there and trying to find his way home to Liam. That he’ll be back in Liam’s arms soon and they’ll be back to planning their wedding by the end of the week.

Liam almost jumps when his phone rings. His heart starts beating faster when he sees it’s Derek and he hurries to answer it, “Derek! Hey! Have you heard anything?”

There’s a beat of silence before he hears Derek releasing a heavy breath through the line. “Liam, there’s something…. Are you sitting down?”

Liam is honestly glad he is, because just those words have him feeling light headed. He doesn’t like the way Derek is speaking. But he still tries to have hope. “What is it? Did you find him?”

“I did,” Derek says. Just those two words sound strained. “Liam he’s…”

“No!” Liam says, jumping to his feet and cutting him off. “Just tell me where you are.”

“Liam you shouldn’t…”

“I don’t care,” Liam growls, “I want to see Theo. Tell me where you are. Now.”

Derek does, albeit reluctantly. Liam drives like a mad man, needing to get to Theo. He refuses to let himself think the worst. Just because Derek didn’t sound too hopeful doesn’t mean anything. Theo could still be okay. He parks next to Derek’s Camaro and throws himself out of the car, barely remembering to shut the door. He runs through the trees, the branches ripping through his clothes and tearing across skin but he doesn’t care. He needs to get to Theo.

He stops when he reaches the clearing and sees Derek there. He’s standing next to a hole in the ground and there’s someone laying at his feet. Liam almost falls over when the smell hits him and he realizes it’s Theo. He runs forward and collapses on the ground next to him. Any hope he’d been feeling him leaves him like a punch to the gut as he takes in the sight before him. It’s Theo. He knows it is. Even if he’s caked with dirt and dried blood. He’s also completely naked. Liam takes his coat off with shaking hands and covers Theo with it, letting his hands linger over his chest. His all too still chest.

“Was he down there?” Liam asks, surprised at how calm his voice is.

“He was,” Derek says, “I kept getting whiffs of his scent here and finally decided to check and see.”

“How…?” Liam doesn’t see a shovel anywhere. He understands when he turns to Derek and sees his claws are out and his hands are caked with dirt. “Oh.”

“I had to know,” Derek says, his voice shaking. “And once I realized he was down there I had to get him out.”

“You don’t know who did it?” Liam asks.

“I do actually,” Derek says, his tone hardening around the words. He holds up a wrinkled piece of paper, “This was attached to his chest.”

Liam almost doesn’t want to read it, but he knows he needs to. He needs to know who did this to Theo. He takes the letter from Derek and his eyes scan the words.

_Liam,_

_Sorry I won’t be able to make it to your wedding. But it appears your groom won’t be making it either._

_M_

Liam doesn’t need to read the whole name to know who M is. “Monroe,” he growls, his eyes flashing.

He wants nothing more than to tear out of here and go and find her, and make her feel all the pain she made Theo feel and more. It’s what she deserves. He looks at Theo, reaching his hand out to brush through his hair. He feels the tears he’s been holding back finally start to fall as he moves to curl himself around Theo. Monroe can wait. He has more important things to worry about.

“Theo,” he whispers, his voice thick with tears. “I’m so sorry.”

He doesn’t want to think about how much Theo suffered. How long had she had him before she killed him? Had he still been alive when Liam finally got here?

“How long do you think…?”

“I think it was over pretty quickly,” Derek tells him. “She probably knew people would be looking for him and didn’t want to risk being found.”

Liam nods, taking a tiny bit of comfort in that. But only a little. Theo is still gone. He’s dead. He’s never going to look at Liam with those gorgeous eyes of his. Or smile or laugh or kiss him or hold him. He’s never going to marry him.

Liam’s shoulders start shaking as he sobs and clings to Theo. He buries his face in his neck, searching for the scent he loves so much but doesn’t find it. All he smells is dirt and death and decay. It just makes him cry harder.

“I never got to say goodbye,” Liam sobs. “I never got to tell him how much I loved him.”

“He knew,” Derek tells him. “Liam you told him that so many times. And you showed him every time you were together. Theo never doubted how much you love him. The last time I talked to him he went on and on about how much he loved you and couldn’t wait to marry you. He knew, okay? If you can take comfort in anything, take comfort in that.”

Liam tries. He does. But it’s hard to take comfort in anything when the man he loves is dead and still in his arms. When the arms that always held him so tightly are stiff at Theo’s sides, and the lips he loved to kiss are cold and pale and will never move again. Liam feels a lot of things right now. Sadness and anger and hatred and loss. But he doesn’t heel comfort or hope. He doubts he ever will again.

**Author's Note:**

> Well this hurt me to do. Thanks for reading! Kudos/Comments make my day. ♥  
> [My tumblr](http://tabbytabbytabby.tumblr.com/)


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